Weight gain support group (keeping it low!)

With DS I gained 30 lbs. I was 14 lbs heavier than I am now when I got pg, but I am still overweight right now. I'm terrified of gaining too much with this pregnancy. I'm looking for others who are in the same boat. Let's be active in helping make the right food decisions so that our LO's are healthy and we don't gain too much weight this pregnancy! Who's with me???

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omg I am too... I am only 5 weeks and gained 7 lbs already!!! I been eating everything every 2 hours I get hungry for not healthy food... so I plan starting today walk 2 miles a day and do some 5lb dumbell and eat healthy!! I read light excersice like wlaking will help with to loose/ avoid weight gain and and blood flow for the baby. Also when prego you only should add 300 calories on your daily calories that are required.

Yesterday was the first day I over ate. I felt awful last night b/c of it. So, this am I had a banana. Last pregnancy I was low on potasium so I need to keep it up this time. I can walk with my sis, she just had a LO in Feb.

We aren't talking about dieting. that's very unhealthy for pregnancy. but those who are overweight should only gain about 15 lbs. Sticking to only the 300 extra calories. So we are wanting to make the right food choices, eat healthy, and get the exercise we need to make sure we do not gain too much weight!

For the first three months of your pregnancy you actually do not need to consume any extra calories. Your pre-pregnancy calorie consumption will be perfectly adequate for your baby’s growth and development as long as you are not dieting. If you are dieting, stop! This is the number of calories (roughly) that you want to eat in a day.

As you go into your second and third trimester you should increase your daily caloric intake by 300 calories. This will help to compensate for the increasing rate of your baby’s growth. If your pre-pregnancy caloric intake was 1800 calories you should consume 2100 calories a day. If it was 1400 calories you should consume 1700 calories, and so on and so forth. Again, this is not the time to try and lose weight. Do not omit these extra calories in favor of allowing your body to burn them instead. This is not healthy for you or your baby, and if you are breastfeeding you will quickly work these calories back off.

The number of calories you need during pregnancy is going to vary if you were not a healthy weight when you became pregnant. Women who were obese may be told to consume fewer calories to prevent excessive weight gain, which would place extra strain on the heart and lungs and increase the likelihood of blood pressure related problems during pregnancy. In this case this is a fine time to diet, as long as you are following your doctor’s advice. The healthier you are, the healthier your baby is going to be.

On the flip side of that coin, if you were underweight at the beginning of your pregnancy or have not gained what the doctor considers to be an adequate amount of weight since becoming pregnant you may be told to increase your caloric intake by more than 300. The baby needs to be able to take enough calories away from your body to grow, and if you don’t have any to spare either because you aren’t eating enough or your body is burning everything that you eat they are going to suffer.